§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his study into the Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft capability; when the outcome will be made public; and what assessment he has made of existing helicopter designs. [38949]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft project is currently nearing completion of its concept phase. During this phase we have identified a30W number of options that have the potential to meet the capability requirements when the Maritime Lynx goes out of service. A number of existing helicopter designs are potentially able to meet these requirements, including the Future Lynx proposal from Westlands Helicopter Ltd., and these will be considered further in the assessment phase. I expect to be able to make a further announcement about the next stage for this project later this year.